


Teensy Favors

by AlyssAlenko



Series: A little bit of Shenko Paradise [10]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: BFFs, Coping, Drinks, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hope, Love, Past Relationship(s), Past shenko, Pining, Platonic Relationships, Reunion, Tattoos, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, platonic friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-27 23:11:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10818717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyssAlenko/pseuds/AlyssAlenko
Summary: Alyss Shepard has just been brought back to life by Cerberus, and asks Joker to do her a favor when they dock at the Citadel…The two banter, but all in all re-establish their friendship and spend some much needed time together. This is super fluffy and sweet and may cause Toothrotting





	Teensy Favors

The doors to the cockpit whooshed open behind Joker. He knew the sound of the footsteps approaching him—even after two years, three months and seventeen days without his best friend, her footsteps were completely unmistakable. He smiled a little; having Shepard back was probably the best gift he could ever ask for and he’d missed her like crazy—the two of them were going to get into so much trouble just like the good old days. She took a deep breath.

“Hey Joker, will you come with me to the wards today? I need someone to hold my hand.”

It was odd to hear Commander Shepard sound nervous. Joker turned his chair away from the helm—maybe it wasn’t really her after all…maybe Cerberus had messed something up when they brought her back—she wasn’t punching any walls either. But there were tiny little details and things she did that couldn’t be duplicated…things that let him know that it was really her. She put her hand on the arm of his chair; her fingernails immediately digging into the leather—Alyss must’ve been ridiculously afraid of whatever she wanted his company for. Joker hissed and knocked her hand away—she didn’t need to harm his new favorite seat…

“Hold your hand for what?”

She bit her lower lip which was one of those tiny details that Cerberus couldn’t have known about when she was thinking something over really hard. “I want to get a tattoo, and I could use some moral support. There’s no way I’m going to ask Miranda or Jacob for anything, they may have helped bring me back, but I don’t know them well enough for that bonding experience yet.”

Joker grinned. “You had me at ‘come with me’…anything to get away from the ship cancer.”

“You know I can hear you, Mr. Moreau.” EDI stated flatly.

“Like I care.” Joker shot back.

Alyss smacked the brim of his baseball cap down just like she used to. “Play nice.”

“How many times do you get shot at, and you’re still afraid of needles? You’re so weird.” He teased, getting up out his chair and hobbling along beside her. “Do you know what you want?”

She nodded.

She’d been wanting to get Kaidan’s name tattooed somewhere on her body since before she died to show him how serious she was about him, and now she finally had a chance; the design she’d decided on was a winged heart, with the angel wings stretching across her lower back, with a cursive ‘Kaidan’ inside the heart, in his favorite color: royal blue. However, she had always chickened out because she hated needles, but after dying once, she knew how short life was and vowed to stick to her guns this time around. Alyss wanted to say she’d thrown caution to the wind at least once in her lifetime—or two lifetimes…

“I was thinking a winged heart on my lower back.” She mumbled, conveniently omitting that Kaidan’s name would be in the heart.

Joker’s eyes went wide. “Al, you want a tramp stamp?”

“Do you have to call it that? It should be very tasteful.” Alyss jokingly punched his arm.

“Ow! Guy with brittle bones, here!”

She snorted with laughter. “That didn’t hurt and you know it, besides, last I checked, your brittle bones were in your legs.”

Joker laughed. He wouldn’t have thought it would be this nice to have her back—he hadn’t realized how much he missed her until she found her way back into his life; for now, it was just the two of them—and Dr. Chakwas amongst a sea of unfamiliar faces. But Cerberus couldn’t be all bad could it? They’d given him back his best friend, his ship, and let him fly again. He was willing to overlook their past transgressions even if Shepard was wary.

Alyss hooked her arm through his, making him stand up straighter; he liked that she always took his pace when they walked together, never making him hurry, never dragging him along—always treating it as a leisurely stroll, like they had all the time in the world. But they didn’t and they both knew it. It explained her sudden need to get a tattoo—it was probably a memory of something precious, a reminder of what she was fighting for.

Joker winced as her fingernails dug into the back of his hand as he sat next to her while she lay on the table in the tattoo parlor; neither of them could figure out how they’d talked themselves into this. The asari who was putting the finishing touches on her artwork laughed quietly to herself, earning Joker’s ire; he leaned over to see exactly what it looked like and his jaw dropped when his eyes lit on the name—the detail she’d omitted when telling him what she wanted. He should’ve been suspicious when she’d made that secretive quick sketch when asked what she wanted. He smirked at her—this was better than when she and Kaidan had flitted away for a week-long sexcapade in Hawaii…Alyss instantly regretted her decision to bring him along.

“Somebody’s got it bad for a certain L2, hmmm?” He teased.

She blushed and dropped his hand. “Shut the hell up, Joker.”

She felt the Asari—with the name Vari on her nameplate—sticking the bandage over her tattoo, and she offer her hand to help her get off the table without incident; Alyss accepted it gratefully and took the pamphlet she was handed…she couldn’t believe she’d just gotten Kaidan’s name permanently engraved into her skin—what if it didn’t work out between them? There was no way she was going to go through the process of getting it removed. Alyss was going to be stuck with it forever—half of her was regretting it, and the other half was still in shock that she’d actually gone through with this crazy scheme of hers. Kaidan was obviously special.

“I assume you haven’t gotten a tat before?” Vari asked.

“Was it that obvious?” Alyss laughed. “What should I do with it?”

“It’s fairly simple—remove your bandage within 2-3 hours and don’t re-bandage. Wash it with an anti-bacterial liquid soap: be gentle, don’t use a washcloth or anything that will exfoliate, only use your hands and then gently pat it dry with a clean cloth or paper towel; don’t rub at it, or use a fabric with a rough surface. I’m sure your boyfriend over there would be willing to help you out.” She nodded in Joker’s direction.

Alyss snorted with laughter. “He’s not my boyfriend—he wishes.”

“In your dreams, Shepard.” Joker shot back.

“Up yours.” She winked at him.

Vari shook her head. “Anyways, for the first three to four days rub a small amount of ointment into the tat, you can use Bacitracin, A&D, Neosporin, or Tattoo Lube—whatever you know you’re not allergic to. Always, always, make sure your hands are clean and don’t place your fingers back into the ointment after touching your tattoo; make sure to rub the ointment in so that it's not shiny, or greasy—you want the thinnest amount possible and then pat off any excess ointment with a clean cloth or paper towel…make sure you don’t use Vaseline, petroleum or Bag Balm. Wash, dry and apply ointment three to five times daily, as needed. On the first night, you may want to wrap your tattoo in saran wrap to prevent sticking to your bedding—don’t use any cloth bandages or pads, as the fibers of this material can adhere to your open tattoo and hinder the healing process and wear clean, soft clothing for the first two weeks– nothing abrasive or irritating. On the third or fourth day it’ll begin to peel. This is completely normal; don’t pick at the skin and begin using a mild, white, unscented lotion, free of dyes or perfumes for at least two weeks once or twice a day.”

Alyss scrunched up her nose—no scented lotion for two weeks? She wasn’t even sure she owned anything that wasn’t scented, however, upon further reflection, Alyss realized she didn’t really own anything at all at the moment having just been brought back to life and all her belongings went down with the original Normandy. She needed to do some shopping, stat, and try to make this new ship feel more like home—it was a mystery how long she would be there, but she was probably not going to give up the new Normandy without a fight. Cerberus and the Alliance would have to pry it from her cold, dead hands.

“Hey, I’ve got to do some shopping, but if you want to head back to the Normandy and put your legs up—I’ll completely understand.” Alyss sighed as they walked out of the tattoo parlor arm-in-arm.

“Are you kidding? This is the first time I’ve been able to stretch my legs since Freedom’s Progress.” Joker blushed. “Besides, it’s the first time we’ve been able to spend some time together since you came back, and I’m not going to waste it.”

She could feel the blush creeping across her cheeks as well; Joker scratched under the beard on his chin, embarrassed, making Alyss smile before wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. He grinned from ear to ear as he hugged her back. They stood there for a moment, ignoring all the hustle and bustle of the wards around them…Joker had always had her back—ever since she became XO of the Normandy, and so she allowed herself this one moment of weakness; he was her unwavering support before and now after her death, the best friend she’d always wanted.


End file.
